1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handheld electronic apparatus such as a cellular phone and a handheld terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A recent cellular phone has an image pick-up function for photographing an object to obtain image data of the object in addition to a telephone function.
A user of such cellular phone can photograph an object with its image pick-up unit. But a photographing range of the object is restricted and therefore it is hard to obtain a photograph of the object of the user's desired size. To solve the above mentioned inconvenience, a cellular phone has been proposed, which is equipped with an image pick-up unit having a zoom mechanism.
With use of the zoom mechanism of the image pick-up unit, a photographing range can be adjusted to obtain a photograph of a zoomed up object. But the cellular phone with such image pick-up unit provided on the same surface as a display unit mounted thereon invites another inconvenience that it is impossible for the user to photograph an object while viewing an image of the object on the display unit.
Further, a cellular phone has been proposed, which consists of a first case having a display unit and a second case having a key input unit connected to the first case by means of a hinge unit, and an image pick-up unit mounted within the hinge unit. In the cellular phone consisting of the first case and the second case, the display unit and the key input section are mounted respectively on the first case and the second case so as to face each other when the first case is folded back on the second case, and the hinge unit is provide at an intersecting portion at which a surface of the second case on which the key input section is provided intersects with a surface of the first case on which the display unit is provided. When the user photographs an object with this cellular phone, the image pick-up unit is directed to the object. In this case, it is preferable that the display unit is turned in the direction opposite to the object for the user to view an image of the object on the display unit. Therefore, the display unit is rotatably mounted on the first case by an angle of 90 degrees.
The cellular phone having the above structure can be used as a telephone with the first case turned about the hinge portion relatively to the second case. Further, when the cellular phone is used for taking a picture, the display unit is further turned relatively to the first case. Therefore, when the user uses the cellular phone for taking a picture of an object, he or she has to not only make troublesome preparation to turn the display unit relatively to the first case before photographing operation but also photograph the object with the display unit projecting from the first case. When photographing with the cellular phone, the user has to firmly hold the second case and the first case with the display unit projecting from the same, and therefore the user is not allowed to hold them in a natural manner. The display unit, which is rotatably mounted on the first case, has to be electrically connected to the first case, resulting in complex in structure.